Where Is The Love?
by Mitsuki Horenake
Summary: Every single love story that they have ever seen, written or enjoyed were always about two men finding each other and falling in love.  Not one seem to be about the women.  And they're getting worried.  Parings will range from beautiful to pure crack.
1. First Story

With all the time they usually spend with their travels or their friends, the girls never seem to ever get together at times. But thanks to Charice and Lin Yi, they were able to gather all the girls they could and put them all together in five connected suites all on the same level while on a visit in the beautiful country known as America. They were both talking about how interesting the recent doujinshi they got was when they looked up and saw that Monica and Anri had just found each other and were now talking to each other in their PJs.

"Oh, you're here already." Monica stated.

"This is our suite during the UN Meeting." Charice answered. "Lin Yi and I were able to get a whole floor of suites for us girls."

"Really? That's so cool." Anri sat down on the bed next to Lin Yi. "What are you reading?"

"A doujinshi that Lin Yi got from Kiku." Charice pointed at the pictures. "It's with Alfred and Arthur, and it's really good!"

Before they knew it, Anri started leaning in with curiosity. She started laughing after a few minutes and soon was fangirling with the other two. It was then that they realized that Monica wasn't joining them, and was instead sighing and staring at her reflection in the mirror.

"What's wrong, Monica?"

She didn't respond, for Irunya entered with Elizabeta and Erika talking about absolutely girly stuff. Before they knew it, Elizabeta was talking about the doujinshi that they were reading while introducing Irunya to it. Erika blinked and saw that Monica wasn't moving from the mirror.

"Is something wrong, Monica?" She asked.

"…aren't they concerned about this obsession they have?"

"Hm?"

"If they see love between two men, what about themselves? Don't they know that if they try so hard to push our fellow male nations together, they won't be able to find happiness themselves?"

Erika stared at her just as Sun Tam and Seyel came into the room with what looked like IHOP packages, their dinner. Seyel plopped next to a rather happy Lin Yi as Sun Tam started passing out the packages of the food that they ordered for them. She looked up, holding one more package.

"Where's Natalya?"

"She's probably stalking Ivan again." Irunya sighed, opening her lunch tray.

"I'm not surprised. She always does that whenever she breathes." Seyel stated as she started eating her dinner. "At least, that's what I've been seeing."

"That's not a bad telling, really." Charice laughed. "Too bad that Ivan loves that Toris guy!"

That statement made Monica sigh and sit at a table in the suite. As they continued to talk about girly things, they continued to braid each other's hair and then went into a massive pillow fight. About five hours passed before they realized that they were almost tired and Natalya had entered the room and actually ate her dinner while watching all this go down.

"That was fun!" Erika sat down on the ground.

"But dang, that makes people tired!" Charice flopped on her bed. "We should talk about something."

"How about boys?" Monica looked up. "That seems to be…a normal thing to talk about, right?"

"Oh, that's true." Anri looked to the others. "There are a lot of cute guys in the UN Meeting, right?"

"Oh, totally!" Lin Yi laughed. "Like Arthur! Arthur is so cute as a gentleman!"

"Yeah, but he's been crushing on Alfred since forever." Sun Tam waved her hand. "Even if it's not that, there's Francis."

"And Francis is not safe to be around, period." Charice laughed. "But then again, he raised Matthew, didn't he?"

"Matthew's really cute, isn't he?" Seyel laughed with her. "The way he whispers all the time, doesn't look at girls in the eyes…he's so shy~!"

"Doesn't Gilbert like him or something?" Irunya asked. "He did name a city after him, and they do hang out a lot…"

"No no no, he hangs out with Roderich." Elizabeta pointed out. "There's _**definitely**_ sexual tension there."

"Unless Roderich is having it with Vash." Monica turned to Erika. "No offense to your brother."

"No, no offense there. I think there's something there too." She smiled. "Me personally, I think Rizal's kinda cute."

"Oh yeah! Kuya's really cute when you see him stutter!" Charice crawled on her bed closer to them. "Doesn't he like someone?"

"I think it's Ludwig." Natalya finally said out loud. "He's been talking to him a lot."

"No way. He's way too serious to be Rizal's liking." Charice waved her hand. "For some reason, I think that it's Antonio."

"But he **hates** Antonio, doesn't he?" Anri asked. "Even then, he would like Lovino right-"

It was then that the entire room fell into deep silence. All the girls stared at each other, unable to say anything. Then again, they didn't have to say what they were all thinking: the entire time that they were talking about love triangles, not once did they mention any of the girls in the room.

"…what about Ivan? Ivan surely loves me." Natalya stated.

"He's too busy infatuated with that other guy. Toris, I think." Lin Yi answered.

"So…what? All the guys we know like _**each other**_ instead of us?" Seyel turned to everyone.

"…yep. That's the conclusion we have." Anri answered.

"I was worried about something like that." Monica shook her head. "Even all the nations that liked guys and girls seemed to like guys overall."

"…we can't fall in love then?" Erika asked.

"I've fallen in love before. I had Roderich as a husband." Elizabeta answered.

"Yeah, but he also married Antonio once before. And let's not forget that we stated that he might have sexual tension with Vash." Irunya sighed. "Just…talking about it makes me a little depressed."

"And the fact that the only option we have is Francis, out of all people." Charice sighed before screaming into a pillow.

"This sounds a little sad…" Sun Tam shook her head. "We all have crushes on them, right?"

"They're all so cute…but they all love each other." Lin Yi rubbed her temples. "God, this hurts just to think about it."

"…let's just sleep on it right now." Elizabeta answered. "This is definitely something that we need to talk in depth about in the morning."

"We've been holding this back for so long." Seyel stated. "Though…can't we just look into the humans?"

"None of the humans should know of our secret. And plus, they're mortal." Natalya pointed out. "Many of us nations had fallen in love with humans before, and they came to regret it."

"Why?" Seyel tilted her head.

"…it makes us realize just how much of a curse immortality is."

That moment scared Seyel out of what her statement was talking about. The whole group decided to move into their suites for the night, leaving Lin Yi and Charice to clean up and get ready for bed. The entire night was quiet between the both of them, Charice not being surprised. As they finally settled down to sleep, she stared at the ceiling and saw the shadows warping into the moonlight.

"_Charice?"_

"_Yeah, Lin Yi?"_

"…_do you think…it's true? That all the guys like each other?"_

"_It sounds fun, now that I think about it…but really, there's no way that can be true."_ Charice laughed. _"It's…__**likely**__, but not 100% true…I hope."_

And that was the statement that they decided to sleep on.

**/=+=/**

**Charice**** is the Philippines…half of it.**

**Erika**** is Liechtenstein.**

**Lin Yi**** is Taiwan.**

**Irunya**** is Ukraine.**

**Sun Tam**** is Vietnam.**

**Monica**** is Monaco.**

**Seyel**** is Seychelles.**

**Anri**** is Belgium.**

**I didn't include Wy because she seems too young to be thinking about something like that. But if you guys really want her to have something…I'll probably give her a chapter.**

**And now it's time for you the viewer to step in! I am willing to write three more chapters with three of your OCs if you wish for it. If you don't have an OC but have a nation you want me to try for myself, toss the name to me and I'll see what I can do. Use the form below to submit your OCs / nation mention.**

**/=+=/**

**Country****- This is the only mandatory thing that you need for submission. Please stick to an existing nation, and I'll take states and cities only if there's no one else submitting. Sorry if that sounds strict to you.**

**Human Name****- If you don't have one, I'll give it to her.**

**Age****- Easy said.**

**Five Male Countries of Interest****- I ask for five because it's highly likely your top two / three are going to conflict with the set pairings that I have for these girls. On the off chance that all five of your choices are taken from the canon, then I'll create the canon chapters first and wait for you to review a sixth option or not. If you don't hand in anything, I'll find something for you.**

**And if you want to give up an appearance, that's fine.**


	2. The Republic of Seychelles

**Isn't it beautiful that the girls are finally getting the attention they deserve? They're nations too! Give them at least some love!**

**/=+=/**

Seyel opened her eyes to see the color of the suite ceiling sparkle in the morning light. She wasn't really used to seeing stuff like that back in her home. The walls were usually made of wood and never sparkled. Maybe it was marble. Maybe it was made from vampire skin.

"Do you think that this is made from vampire skin?"

"What, the ceiling? Most likely."

Seyel turned her head and saw Anri laugh about it as she catapulted from her suite bed and headed toward the cabinets to change her clothes. She never understood why girls had to have so many clothes with them whenever they travelled. Maybe it was because she was usually so cheap because her house had a rather small budget? It's odd, considering the fact that she was technically living in a nicely made house created by Francis.

"Do you read Twilight?"

"Huh?"

"You mentioned sparkly vampires, so I assumed that you knew about the series." Anri peeked out from the side of the door.

"I only read the first book. I'm not into vampires." Seyel got up from her bed. "Besides, I live in a sunny place. Vampires don't come near me."

"Oh, that's true. Vampires can't stand sunny places…" Anri laughed. "Good for you then!"

"Yeah, good for me. No vampires to attack me." Seyel went to her closet…a really small one, at that. "Besides, I'm referring to the plot."

"Emotionless girl in love with stalker vampire because he's cute? Please, Edward isn't even that cute." It sounded like she finally found an outfit. "He looks more like a drug addict."

"That's Bella."

"No, she's just a bad actor." Anri peeked her head out again. "Besides, love isn't like that!"

"It isn't?"

"It's gradual…slow moving…almost as if it wasn't even there at all." She sounded philosophical. "And then it just _**gets**_ you, and you're hooked. Like on drugs, only it's the good kind."

"Hm…"

She began to wonder what that felt like.

/=+=/

The meeting they had was as productive as ever...as productive as these things ever get. Someone argues with someone else, someone starts spouting off nonsense, and somehow someone got thrown out of the window. She really didn't want to know who that was. Charice threw him, so it could've been Francis. Looked like him.

"_God…each meeting always goes to hell…"_ She heard Ludwig mumble.

"Were you expecting something to come out of this?" Sun Tam stated after him.

"…at least an agreement."

"Well, we all agree that Francis should be thrown out of the window."

"But that would mean that he's going to land in traffic."

"In wha-?"

About five seconds later, there was a honking noise and what sounded like people running someone over. Seyel smacked herself in the face before standing up to check on him. Besides, he was the one with the money to send her back home. Otherwise, she was going to be stuck in America for a while…and that thought scared her just a little bit.

**/=+=/**

She wasn't surprised that she was the only person who bothered to check up on him. Arthur loves to argue with him, and in general nobody really likes the French. Well, except for the Canadians…but apparently nobody likes them either. No one that's part of the main section of the world, all…majority of the nations.

After a few minutes of heading down the stairs, she saw the door and headed outside. Instantly there were a few people around in a circle talking about some random person that hit the wall. She dug through all of them and noticed Francis' body dangling helplessly on the ground.

"…Francis?"

Seyel quickly jumped to his side, watching in surprise as he stood up and looped his arm around the girl's shoulder. He smiled quietly at her, and then she realized that he wasn't bleeding as much as she thought he would be. Francis could only smile at her innocence.

"You're curious, aren't you?"

"How come you're not bleeding?" She asked.

"Well…look at the group of people that are around us."

Seyel got confused for a few minutes before turning her head and noticing that the majority of them were speaking a strange language. She thought that most of them were going to be speaking English. Most of them were talking in French. She turned back to Francis as he winked.

"We nations are healed when our people come to our aid." He stated. "Their love is our medicine."

"…wow." She blinked. "So…many of them."

"This is America. All of us are here…we are all safe in that sense…"

Seyel decided not to question it as they both entered through the building, noticing that Francis had shifted as if he was looking at someone. She looked up and didn't notice anyone in front of her.

"Ah…did you come to see me, Mathieu?"

"_F-Francis…I was worried about you."_ A voice echoed out. _"Are you all right?"_

"Yes, I'm fine. There were a couple of French tourists outside, so I got enough energy to walk." He pulled himself off of Seyel's shoulders. "How is the meeting?"

"_I didn't even know that there was one…from what they're doing…"_ The voice answered. _"You didn't miss much."_

"That's good." He turned to Seyel. "It's hectic in there. You should stay out here."

"Um…sure."

Francis waved at her and headed back to the room, leaving her alone. It was then that she saw a figure materialize out of nowhere, looking back at where Francis was walking. He looked like he had Francis' hair, but when he turned around he had a familiar face and the purest violet eyes she had ever seen in her life. The figure seemed to be blushing.

"Oh…Alfred! I didn't know that you grew your hair!"

"_I-I'm not Alfred!"_

"No?" She rubbed the back of her head. "Then…are you part of Alfred? Like…oh, you must be the Confederacy during the Civil War!"

"_I'm Matthew…!"_

"…Matthew?" She blinked. "Why do you sound…dead?"

"_I-I'm alive…"_ He mumbled…making the voice impossible to hear. _"I just…naturally talk like this."_

"But I can't hear you!"

"…_that's the gist of it…"_ He stated. _"No matter how loud I talk…"_

"Well…if talking loudly gets you into whatever the heck is going on in the meeting hall…then I understand why you talk otherwise…"

"_Um…"_

"Besides, there's nothing wrong with having a talking problem."

"_But…what if I want to talk to someone important?"_

"Then do what we're doing now. Get their attention somehow." Seyel shrugged. "Is that good?"

"…_y-yeah, I guess so…"_ Matthew blushed. _"You're…Seyel, right? One of Francis' old colonies?"_

"Yeah, that's me. And you?"

"_Canada…er, just Matthew is fine."_

"Canada…oh yeah, Francis had talked about you."

"_He did?"_

"He said you made the best pancakes in the world."

"_H-he really said that?"_

"Yeah~! I really want to have a taste if I can!"

"_Oh…uh…"_ Matthew turned his head. _"Sure…wh-why don't we go to my hotel room after the meeting? I have a pancake mixer in there."_

"You cook in your hotel room?"

"_It helps with costs."_

"All right. I'll meet you in the lobby!"

"_I'll make sure you see me."_

Seyel waved before turning and heading back into the meeting hall, making Matthew breathe out a long sigh.

_I…I finally got her to talk to me…and she seems to remember me…_ He shook his head. _Wow…I…I never really talked to a girl before…no, don't start asking Francis for advice. I have to find this out on my own…this is scary!_

**/=+=/**

**Ah, innocent love~! I think CanSey is one of the most innocent out there…next to whoever the heck is paired up with Liechtenstein.**


	3. The Kingdom of Belgium

**There will be no set order in how I'm going to set these chapters up…except that the OCs will come last. Charice and whoever I choose to be in it will be the epilogue and the omakes that come with it.**

**/=+=/**

Anri couldn't sleep that night. Ever since that conversation came up, she would find herself with the same images in her head…they would all be of the same person smiling back at her. First, it would be of the child that she first met when he was with Antonio. Then it became the young man that he was now…why wouldn't he leave her mind…?

"Do you think that this is made from vampire skin?"

She turned her head and saw Seyel staring quietly at the ceiling, pointing at it for a few minutes. Anri laughed.

"What, the ceiling? Most likely."

She catapulted from her bed _(and her fears)_ and headed toward the closet that she had. The inside had her traditional khaki outfit _(never going to let that one go)_ as well as a few outside outfits in case she wanted to look "fancy" in front of him…on the off chance that he looks. And speaking of what could be sexy…

"Do you read Twilight?"

"Huh?" She heard Seyel stand up.

"You mentioned sparkly vampires, so I assumed you know of the series." Anri peeked out of her door. _Not that I think that some of our guys would be hot vampires._

"I only read the first book. I'm not into vampires." Seyel answered. "Besides, I live in a sunny place. Vampires don't come near me."

"Oh, that's true. Vampires can't stand sunny places…" _Unless they like to be their own sparkle rave…which he definitely wouldn't want to be… _"Good for you!"

"Yeah, good for me. No vampires to attack me." She didn't sound happy. "Besides, I'm referring to the plot."

"Emotionless girl in love with stalker vampire because he's cute? Please, Edward isn't even that cute!" _Not as cute as…_ "He looks more like a drug addict!"

"That's Bella."

"No, she's just a bad actor." _I could act better than her! _"Besides, love isn't like that!"

"It isn't?"

_No…it's not like that._

"It's gradual…slow moving…"

_Agonizing…torturous…_

"…almost as if it wasn't even there at all."

_Slowly killing you from the inside…_

"And then it just _**gets**_ you, and you're hooked."

_It will never let you go._

"Like on drugs, only it's the good kind."

_Except the good drugs can kill you too…_

**/=+=/**

She was not surprised that she entered the meeting hall seeing England and France arguing with each other again. She was not surprised when Romania and Hungary were arguing with each other again. She was surprised that the meeting was getting productive. Heck, they were able to get one treaty out of the way before Francis started rubbing Charice's ass…which meant that he went flying out of the window.

"Woooow…" Anri leaned next to Charice. "That is some arm strength!"

"_**Please!**_ You haven't seen how much I can throw out there!" She laughed. "After being around the Bad Friends Trio for god knows how long, you learn how to defend yourself~!"

"That's nice to hear." Anri stood up. "Then again, I'm not really worried about them."

"That's because they don't pay attention to you." Charice waved her hand. "It must be awesome to be around all these perverts and leave with their sanity intact."

"Yeah, I guess it's awesome to be left alone in a world of nutjobs."

_But it would be nice if I get acknowledged as well._

A few people have noticed her every now and then, but for the most part she was just as neglected as Matthew was. Sure, she had her shining moments, but for the most part she's been ignored as well…maybe because of how _**normal**_ she is?

"Anri."

She turned her head and saw that someone was walking up to her, looking somewhat concerned and startling her all the same. She certainly wasn't expecting Lovino to talk to her at a time like this, not when there's plenty of complaining to do to Ludwig just around now. Nonetheless, the time for him to get out of the way to talk to her…she felt her insides skip a beat and then roll over to die.

"Um…yeah?"

"You're fine, right?" He asked, keeping his face the same as it always was _(that strange blank look that scared her just a little)_. "Because of the crap economy that the burger bastard brought to us?"

"Oh, yeah! I'm fine, really!" Anri stretched out her sleeve. "The World Bank is fine at my home!"

"…are you sure?"

"Yeah, really."

"Ah…you're worried about her, aren't you mi tomate~?"

"_**SHUT THE HELL UP, TOMATO BASTARD!"**_

And with that, the moment was snapped. Anri backed up as she saw Lovino and Antonio argue with each other about just how nutjobish the other one is, a common trope in a meeting. After her independence, she found herself falling out of those conversations. What she would give to find a way back into them…just to be next to him again…

**/=+=/**

It was a while the last time she saw him. He was a little child and had the cutest crush on her. Even to this day, she felt bad for dragging her around. Nowadays, she couldn't help but wonder if this was God's cruel revenge on her for that same moment.

She sat in her hotel room as she started thinking about it for a few minutes, looking out at the view before her. Many of the buildings were there the last time that she visited…a long time ago. Eons, actually. Anri thought it would be romantic to walk hand-in-hand with someone she loved…Lovino, maybe…if he wasn't gay. Elizabeta would be happy.

_Why am I thinking of last night?_ She thought. _Not all of them are gay…then what would be left for the rest of us?_

After a few minutes, she gave up and decided to go and get some lunch. Anri went to her luggage and pulled it out from the side of the room.

Or rather, she tried to.

Anri blinked as she noticed that she couldn't move her luggage at all. She stared at it for a few seconds before shrugging and trying to do it again, only moving it a single inch.

_That's weird…I should be able to move this out of the way…_

She kept pulling it as much as she could, feeling her muscles tense in pain. This was stupid, she thought. She didn't pack that much, and she was more than able to pull this in her room the last time. Not only that, but she was able to lift up luggage for Seyel as well! So what was making this so hard?

She heard the door register someone in and open slightly, just for her to turn her head and hear a voice talking to someone else. It was then that her hand slipped and she went staggering backwards, hitting her head on something before hearing someone storm into the room and something ringing a lot.

**/=+=/**

"…_can you leave us alone, Seyel? They need you downstairs anyway."_

"…_all right."_

The ringing stopped as Anri slowly got out of it and found herself lying on her bed, facing upwards and barely seeing the image of Lovino watching someone _(possibly Seyel, if her ears were hearing correctly)_ walk out of the room. She couldn't help but sigh.

_I got knocked out for no reason…?_

"You're awake?" His voice perked up. "That's good…is anything broken? Nothing hurts?"

"No, of course not. It was just a slip-up on my part." She sat up. "Don't worry."

"Can't I help but be? You passed out with a simple bump to the head. No country gets knocked out from something as benign as that." Lovino leaned forward. "The world really is affecting you, isn't it?"

"…"

"Don't try to lie to me about this. You can't be pushing yourself when you're in danger of being hurt."

"Please, I'm a nation-"

"In a human body." He stated. "You're still stuck with what your body limits you to have. You can't be pushing yourself…"

"Lovino…"

"You're not me. You don't have a clinging bastard watching over your every move, which means that you're more in danger of getting hurt." He stated, his face still blank as ever. "Please? For me?"

That was a statement she never thought she'd hear from him…_**him**_, the loud and rude Lovino Vargas. Still, when his mask began to crumble and he started to show just a little glance of fear, she couldn't help but feel her heart strings be plucked at. She smiled and placed a hand on his own.

"I will…I promise you."

**/= [10 DAYS LATER] =/**

They had begun hanging out a little more since that day, even though Lovino would usually go through more silent spells than usual. This one particular day, they were at the park eating ice cream and people watching for the millionth time. Nations can't help but people watch daily.

"So how are you and Antonio?"

"Doing well." He answered, with a smile on his face. "All he did was brag about his tomatoes."

"Does he do anything else?"

"Not that I would know of…except for cooing over my sorry ass."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"That's because he has better things to do, you know? Rather than watch over me…"

"Well…" She had no idea why she was thinking of this. "If not him, I can watch over you."

"H-huh?"

"O-on the off chance that you need one, of course!"

"I don't need any more babying than I already have, Anri."

"I-I know…it's just that I thought you'd get used to it, that's all."

"It's one of the sad things that is in existence and I can't help but deal with it." Lovino sighed. "It doesn't mean that I need someone."

"Um…_sorry."_

She looked down and started swinging her legs. The one time she could possibly have with being with him…even on a non-romantic level. Having crushes must really _**suck.**_ God forbid what the other females would be like. They must be just as sad as she is now.

"…n-not that I'm cursing you out, you know."

"I know you're not." Anri smiled. "You don't curse out women."

"I don't curse out women who aren't assholes…Charice is one of them."

"She's a decent woman, Lovino."

"That's cause you don't know how tight she can squeeze an artery in the body."

"I've been hearing rumors."

Anri couldn't help but laugh at Lovino's terrified look for a few seconds before seeing it fade into a quiet look of resignation and looking back directly at her. It was unnerving…and a little scary, but something she'd sink in forever.

"Then…I guess that means…I really need to be watched over…so that psycho bitch doesn't get to me when I need alone time…"

"Lovino?"

"…Antonio won't be able to do anything, so…" He looked up. _"Can you protect me, Anri…?"_

The face suddenly turned innocent, making Anri blush and turn away. Suddenly, her phone started to ring, a good break from this…**this.** She quickly picked it up.

"Hello?"

"_Anri…where are you?"_

"I'm with Lovino, why?"

"_Y-you and Lovino have to come here quick…t-there's been an accident."_


	4. The Republic of Hungary

_There was really nothing to worry about, right? There are such things as straight nations!_

Elizabeta laughed to herself as she started to arrange the clothes on the bed. It was an old habit of her past years, and she found herself enjoying it for some reason. When she was younger, she would always arrange the clothes for young Feliciano to get into every morning _(of course, it had to be a dress~)_. Sometimes, she would lay out clothes for Roderich if he ends up forgetting.

She sighed. There wasn't a happier time than when she was married to that man. Even if their marriage was for the sake of war, she was happily married. But after it was dissolved, she hasn't heard anything from him since. Sure, they still talk from time to time…but not once has he reminisced about their marriage. Did he really loathe that time…something that was sacred to her…and not tell her? But why wouldn't he…?

"Are you all right?"

She looked up and saw Sun Tam looking back at her, a familiar serious look crossing past her face. Elizabeta couldn't help but stand up and chuckle.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You looked worried about something, that's all." She answered, straightening herself. "Seriously, if you need to talk…"

"No, I'm fine, really." She stood up. "Don't we have a meeting to go to today?"

"…we do, actually. You're still in your PJs, and you're usually in your business uniform at this point, so…"

"Right…whoops."

He would do that sometimes too…a long time ago…

**/=+=/**

The meeting went as always. And by always, she meant that someone went out the window by Charice's hands and the place was going absolutely nowhere. She really wanted nothing more than to go home and work with her Yaoi fanfic right now, even if she was in a crappy mood.

"Are you all right, Eliza?"

She turned her head and looked at the confused looking Ludwig staring back at her. His eyes appeared to be rather shifty for some reason.

"Yeah, just lack of sleep."

"That's what happens when you have too much fun and forget to sleep."

"But we haven't really done much. We even fell asleep early."

"Still…wait, why do you have a pen and paper?"

"Because…my camera's broken."

"You girls and your cameras…it's almost as if you're hunting down for love…"

She noticed that the corners of his eyes were shifting around, and she looked up to realize that he was looking at Feliciano, talking up to Charice about something _(Francis being all right, maybe?)_, and she sighed. Even if the both of them were in fact gay, she was OK with the both of them. Ludwig _**had**_ to be gay for Feliciano…

"You like staring over there, aren't you?"

"E-eh?" Ludwig's face turned red. "N-no I'm not staring!"

"Suuuuure you are." She grinned. Making fun of him had to be the most fun she had all day. "You haven't been looking at me for the majority of the conversation~"

"Y-yes I have!"

"Veee~~~Ludwig, come play with us!"

"Yeah, Doitsu-ki! We're going sightseeing today!"

"_Charice, really…"_

"_**COME ON, LET'S PARTY!"**_

Elizabeta watched for a while as the both of them grabbed Ludwig's arms and dragged him out the door, just as Francis came back from what looked like a full recovery. He went to Roderich and started hitting on him, making him extremely uncomfortable. She was about to take care of it when she saw that Roderich was throwing him into a wall…totally unlike him.

_So he's taking good care of himself…that's good._

She looked down and found herself rather depressed. Why in the world was she, though? She's having all the fun in the world, making fun of everyone and shipping the others. In the end, she watched as Gilbert came into the process and laughed at what he did, almost sounding like he enjoyed himself. She knew how someone sounded like when they were happily laughing…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Elizabeta, are you all right?"

She turned her head and saw that she had ran out of the room, standing on the staircase to the next level and Irunya standing a few feet away from her. She looked utterly worried, and that's when she realized that she was crying. One small tear had successfully left her eye, making it all worse.

"…_Roderich looked happy today…"_

"Oh…" Irunya walked to her side. "You…you still love him, don't you?"

"…"

"Don't try to hide it. Elizabeta must still be in love with him."

"_I am, but…I can't say anything about it. It makes me sound clingy, and everyone hates clingy."_

"There's a difference between being clingy and still having feelings for someone. But I thought you two are divorced…?"

"The government annulled our marriage; we did not choose to do it ourselves…but then again, Roderich must've agreed to it…"

"Have you asked him about this?"

"Sometimes. Then again, he never gave me a clear answer."

"…maybe you should be more serious? Tell him that you are not joking?"

"He knows when I'm not joking."

"…tell him again. That's all I can tell you."

"Since when did you get so wise in stuff like this?"

"…I've been in your position before."

On that note, Elizabeta heard her walk away until she was alone yet again. She looked down the hallway and could literally imagine herself with him and his duchess when Gilbert was annoying the heck out of him, taking his vital regions and all. She was so determined to protect him even when he couldn't protect himself, and somehow she saved his life. _God I was so happy that I did…_

Before she knew it, a warm pair of arms wrapping themselves around her shoulders, gentle and soft to the touch. Of course, she couldn't help but panic _(it was probably Francis for all she knew)_, but after a few seconds of struggling, she felt one of her arms being gently stroked. There was only one person that knew what that meant to her…

"…what are you doing here?"

"I needed to talk to you."

"…don't tell me you've been listening to us the entire time."

"Kiku isn't the only one who can get information without his targets knowing."

"That might be called stalking, you know."

"I know…I'm not worried about it, though. Because I know it's you…and you know me too well."

"Yeah…I really do…"

"You should've told me that you were this worried."

"I did. Didn't you hear me before? You didn't take it seriously."

"…men can't read minds, you know."

"You can read mine."

"Just barely…you completely changed over these years…with your permission, I want to relearn every aspect of you…all right?"

"…permission granted, Roderich…"

**/= [10 DAYS LATER] =/**

They were in the town, shopping of course, as Roderich watched Elizabeta looking at the windows for something to buy. After a few minutes, he noticed that she was pointing at something in the mirror. It looked like a vest of some kind, with a sale next to it.

"Do you think that will look good on you?"

"M-me?" He blushed. "W-what about you?"

"You need clothes! I have more than enough; girls always do!"

"…I guess…?"

"Ah, Roderich…still clueless about girls…"

He turned his head and gave up for now when he heard his phone ring. Sighing, he turned around and picked it up, taking his greeting and listening to the line. After a few seconds, Elizabeta noticed that he was getting pale, his body stiffening up. His voice was gentle, but she could only hear certain words coming out of his soft lips.

"…_w-what about an accident…? W-who was in it…?"_


	5. The Socialist Republic of Vietnam

_Sun Tam…_

The voice was haunting her dreams. Every night, it would be the same voice saying the same thing over and over again.

_Sun Tam…_

Was it that bad that she had to believe that such a man was beautiful? Even if half of the people she knew found him as the most annoying thing in the world? If she had learned anything from what Francis had taught her, it was that if people judged others on looks alone, they were only fooling themselves. That's what he got when she declared and **won** her independence from him.

Nevermind that she went Communist. Brother China did the same thing, and after that she had to handle America all on her own…and she won _**that**_ too. Her people felt such a wave of pride, but she alone couldn't help but find that oddly _**shocking**_. Here was the nation that had almost singlehandedly taken down Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers with it _(at least, that's what Alfred told her)_, and _**she BEAT him**_ with _(BARELY)_ some help.

That was the day that she gained so much confidence that her lacking self-loathing became that of the past.

That was also the day that she met someone.

"_So you actually beat a newly formed superpower all on your own? That is extremely AWESOME!"_

**/=+=/**

Her eyes flickered open to reveal the sunlight above her eyes and the suite room shining with light. Sun Tam found it a little too bright for her benefit, but then again she wasn't expecting much concerning the fact that the meeting for today was in the _**brightest FREAKING place ever.**_ She sat up and saw Elizabeta arranging the clothes on her bed over and over again, muttering some broken Hungarian to herself as if she was in some form of trance.

"Are you all right?"

Elizabeta jumped, her trance broken, and saw Sun Tam staring back at her. It was then that she could see something very familiar: internal scars, shaping themselves and burrowing themselves deeper into her mind. What could she be thinking about…?

"Yes, I'm fine." She answered. Her voice sounded deep…sad?

"You looked worried about something, that's all." Sun Tam decided to stand up from her bed. Elizabeta made no remark about that. "Seriously, if you need to talk…"

"No, I'm fine, really."

Her eyes said something else. It almost seemed to be screaming something else: _**Help me…PLEASE…**_

"Don't we have a meeting to go today?"

Sun Tam looked as her changing subject lightened up her face a little, almost as if she had placed a mask on her emotions without even trying. That was how she found herself respecting this woman, even if their leaders had not talked that much. She was a woman, but knew when to hold herself together in order to work in the world where half of your business partners were men. Most female nations still haven't gotten that…Sun Tam admitted to herself that she still hasn't reached that level as well as of late. Maybe it was because Hungary was the only strong female nation during World War II that had to save her people…?

"…we do, actually. You're still in your PJs, and you're usually in your business uniform, so…"

**/=+=/**

Sun Tam had basically entered the meeting hall just as Charice threw someone out the window. Judging by what she was guessing, and since Antonio was still in the room, that had to be Francis. She quietly sat down in her seat and turned her head to see Heracles sleeping in his chair yet again, a random cat above his head. Seriously, where do these cats _**come**_ from…?

"Heracles…"

"_zzzzzz…"_

"**Heracles."**

"…_*snore*…"_

"Geez…and here I was supposed to talk about you about trade relations again…"

Then again, with the European Union on him, she wasn't surprised that he was sleeping. Knowing him, he was probably faking it right now just to avoid being burned. She gave up and decided that she was going to try talking to Alfred about some immigration issues that she had…

And found him making fun of Arthur as Ivan threatened him with a shaving razor.

_Well, so much for talking to England and Russia too…_

She decided to try one more time and go to a country her leader hasn't really talked to yet in order to see if she could open the negotiation table with him. But instead, she was greeted with the image of Ludwig being dragged out the door with Charice and Feliciano.

_Great…now I can't get anything done today._

After a few minutes of watching everyone else mess up their lives, she gave up and headed out of the meeting hall. There was really no way that she was going to get anything done today, not with the pace that they're going. As she rounded the corner into the lobby, she noticed a strange sight.

There he was, staring out the window with the most serious expression she had ever seen on his face. Quietly, she stepped inside and looked out the window a few feet from him, seeing that he was watching the German be dragged out with his little group of people. She looked back up and saw that he wasn't moving at all, just…staring, as if that was the only thing that he could do. Sun Tam figured that if it hadn't been for the blinking, she would've mistaken him for a statue.

That was something she never really understood about people. They could be complete morons and have no type of brain cell in their heads, and yet whenever they look so serious, they're…what's the word…_**likable?**_ She knew that Kiku talked about this a lot in his animation techniques; hell, he perfected it. But in real life, she didn't know why she found herself attracted to this serious expression. It was almost as if-

"_**GAH! **_How long were you there? That's totally unawesome!"

-he was a complete moron.

"A few minutes." She responded plainly. "What are you doing here anyway? I'm sure that you don't have much to talk about in a world meeting."

"Eh, mein bruder didn't want to leave me alone in the house for some reason, so he dragged me along. Not like I care; all I really came here for is to annoy specs and his brooding monster of an ex-wife."

"You mean Roderich and Elizabeta."

"…eh? How'd you know their names?"

"I'm not an idiot, Gilbert. She talks about you and him all the time when we hang out."

"Girls hang out? I always figured that you'd be clinging unawesomely at some guy or something."

"That's only Charice and Natalya, and yes we do hang out. With the amount of _**men**_ we have to work with, Erika figured that we might as well have some small personal alliance as well. Friendship, in human terms."

"Huh…haven't had something like that in a long time."

"Maybe you should start going out more."

"Hey, it doesn't mean that I need it! It's awesome being alone! You don't have to waste money on them, you have all the time in the world to yourself, you can personally focus on yourself, you know?"

If it hadn't been for the fact that she had seen him just minutes before he placed his mask on, she would've pegged him for telling the truth. But even then, she would have her doubts. There was just…_**something**_ in his voice that seemed to say otherwise. It was faint, almost nonexistent, and it seemed to be saying another story.

_**What am I to the world…?**_

"Hey, don't you have a meeting to be going to?"

"…yes, actually." She lied. The place was a hell hole, to say the least. "Why?"

"You need to go there, you know. I need my awesome time alone!"

"…I might as well see if the place cleared up and some treaties can be made." With the place as it is now, that would be impossible.

"Fine. Go ahead. Not stopping you."

He turned around and looked at the wall opposite the door, talking to himself about what he was planning to do once his brother had been freed of the crazies. Sun Tam decided to try something out…something that she believed would work on an idiot like him. She headed to the door, watching if he was turning around or not, and opened it. He didn't move a muscle to see if she was going to leave, so she closed it again, hearing the click at the other side. Light as a feather, Sun Tam turned her head to see what would happen.

Gilbert didn't move at the door to see if she had left _(wow, what an idiot)_, instead staring at himself in the mirror in the room and holding the sides of the frame as if he was thinking about something _(fortunately, she didn't see herself in the reflection)_. He took a deep breath, wavering as of losing this internal battle, and then she saw it.

One lone tear.

She had no idea what happened. Five seconds later she had zoomed forward and grabbed his waist, hearing him scream like a girl and turn his head to see the Vietnamese girl squeezing the life out of him.

"_**Don't do that! You almost gave the awesome me an unawesome heart attack!"**_

"…sorry." She looked up, the tears hiding back into his eyes. "I was just aware that giving hugs made people better."

"What makes you think someone as awesome as I am needs one?"

"I'm pretty sure someone as awesome as you can still cry."

That's when she saw another lone tear on his cheek, one she had to wipe away to reveal to him that she was paying attention. Before she knew it, he had pushed her away and ran out of the room, leaving a poor yellow bird behind. It rose to her level, bowing as if trying to be generous or something, and then flew after his master…almost as if it was blushing as well.

**/= [10 DAYS LATER] =/**

She wandered around the city, wearing the outfit that Elizabeta had bought her for Christmas. Sun Tam had to admit that it looked nice on her, almost as if she knew what her figure was...that's creepy.

After a few minutes, she turned a corner and saw that Gilbert was coming out of the nearby store. They made eye contact, and yet he didn't run away…maybe he was trying to hold his ground and try to keep his manly pride together.

"…you alright?"

"What? What about it? I'm perfectly _**fine!**__**"**_ Gilbert pointed out.

"You're blushing, you know."

"_**S-shut up…"**_

She shook her head for a few minutes before his phone went off. They blinked as Gilbert took his phone _(pretty looking, odd enough)_ and answered it. She folded her arms and watched as Gilbert froze at something that the other person was telling him.

"Wait…_**who**_ got into an accident?"

**/=+=/**

**Told you that there was crack pairings in this story XD**


	6. The Principality of Liechtenstein

She was the most mature out of all the girls, so this shouldn't bother her at all. The only problem was that it was bothering her. Most men would marry women for pride or money. Most countries would marry women for pride, money, and most importantly _**land.**_ Who in the world would want her, the small principality of Liechtenstein? And even so, would they survive the wrath of her older brother Vash? In the weirdest way, she felt like a princess locked up in a castle…for good reasons, of course, but…

Erika flipped on her side and looked at the wall next to her bed. Why does this bother her at all? First of all, she's the Principality of Liechtenstein. She has more important things to do than to focus on boys. Plus, in human terms she's only fourteen years old. She was way too young to focus on stuff like this. And yet she was.

Being a principality _(it feels as if she was the only one in the world)_, she knew that she had a lot less rights than other nations do. She didn't have her own army, rarely talked to other countries _(with the exception of the girls, and rarely for political reasons)_, and for lack of a better word, _**dangled**_ on her other brother. It wasn't just because Vash was her brother, either; she clung onto him for salvation, for her life really did depend on this man.

So was it bad that she personally wanted to be with someone else?

After a while, it became hard for her to distinguish what part of her was Erika and what part was Liechtenstein. Vash had told her that it was a common thing for young nations to go through, similar to how humans went through puberty. The only problem was that, despite all the time that had passed, she _**still**_ can't tell the difference. Were human emotions associated with Erika, or were they being felt with Liechtenstein with the hope of possibly starting an agreement treaty with him? Whatever it was, it was rather confusing.

The sound of a tea kettle cut her out of her thoughts, and she turned her head to see Monica boiling water for some tea. Like her, Monica was a principality too…but she was trying to be independent from Francis, for reasons that seem to be obvious to everyone else but poor Erika. She even has her own army, for crying out loud! Sure, she still has to depend on Francis to protect herself, but still…if she had to protect herself, she could…

For some reason, she felt more alone than before.

**/=+=/**

Because of her position as a full principality under Switzerland's rule, she really had no position to be there at the World Meeting. But because of her loyalty to the country, she basically had to follow him anyway. In a weird sense, she was just like Gilbert, only still a nation with people. Instead, she has decided that she was just going to people watch, see if she could learn anything about the other nations and perhaps help Vash in the long run. That knowledge alone helped him become neutral in the Second World War, even if she herself fell victim to it.

As she took her seat, she observed the normality of the country meeting. The minute it starts, Francis and Arthur start arguing. It will always start with Francis being too touchy-feely, and will always end with Arthur successfully shooing him off. This will either be done in one of a certain number of ways:

**One** – A Nation will try to get one of them to negotiate deals privately, away from the meeting. Bonus points if the nation in question is America, for he will be the only person to 100% separate the two of them.

**Two** – Germany will step in and demand that they stop right away. This will only work if the meeting is talking about international affairs.

**Three** – They just get bored and walk away. This rarely happens, as Francis is oddly persistent.

**Four** – A female nation passes by. Francis will automatically cling like it was a magnet to a nail.

In this case, it was Charice. She was following Kiku to talk about small affairs when Francis stepped between them. From what her ears could gather, he was hitting her and getting too close for comfort. Before Rizal could move from the side of the room, she had grabbed the Frenchman from the arm and threw him out the window. That was the only way that Arthur could be snapped out of the argument, and he finally start talking business with Roderich and Yao Wang. Meanwhile, Seyel took this opportunity to make sure that her fellow colonizer was all right. Erika couldn't believe it, but a strange semi-transparent image followed her out.

"This whole thing is getting stupid…" Vash grumbled. "Why do these meetings always have to be this hectic and unpredictable?"

_That's the thing._ Erika giggled. _It's more predictable than you think, bruder._

She looked up and watched Heracles as he was talking to a South American nation about something, and almost like she willed it, he fell asleep on the dot…_**standing up**_, no less! The chaos seemed to be extremely random and out of it, but at the same time…oddly predictable.

"Great…now where the hell is Antonio? I have to go make a treaty with him…again." Vash folded his arms.

"He'll most likely be with Lovino…either with Anri or outside in the lobby drinking coffee."

"I'll start looking." Vash looked at her. "And you?"

"I'll be here." She answered. "I'll be fine, really. I know what to expect from them."

Vash stared at her for a good five minutes before deciding to look for him, bumping into Gilbert on the way out and leaving her alone in the room. She knew that despite the perverts out there, they knew that Vash was extremely clingy on her, and anyone with even the THOUGHT would be horribly murdered before their very eyes. While this has protected her over the years, it's also made her very lonely. In fact, it was only recently that she had started talking to anyone outside her borders…starting with the girl nations, of course.

"Are you all right alone like this? You know the people that are out there."

She turned her head and saw Rizal sitting next to her, looking right at her in confusion. She couldn't help but blush and look down. If there was anything that she hasn't _**quite**_ learned yet, it was how to have a casual conversation with many of the male nations. There were, of course, a few exceptions, but the Asian nations were definitely an exception to this rule. Rizal, of course, couldn't help but notice this.

"You can just say yes or no."

"…yes, I am fine." She answered, trying to hide her nervousness. "I'm with Vash, of course."

"Geez, you sound like Charice. If it hadn't been for me, she probably wouldn't know how to greet a proper convention." Rizal sighed. "I'm usually the one talking."

"I've…noticed." Erika stared at him. "But aren't you the younger brother?"

"Yes I am. And I have to be the older sibling to her. Can't blame her, really." He stated. "Guess I've been too protective of her…"

"You? Protective of an older sibling?"

"Yeah. It can happen. Men are usually protective of their female siblings." Rizal pointed out. "Younger, older, doesn't really matter. I figured it was genetics, really."

"That does explain why Vash is so protective of me…but sometimes, I want to figure out what I want, you know?"

"You'll find that out sooner or later. Once you're aware of a side of you that's purely your own, then that's when your nations thrives."

"Eh?"

"You probably figured that out already…that there are two sides to you: the nation, and the human." Rizal turned to her. "These two sides are going to constantly clash as the years go on, and there will be decades where your human side just shuts down to the point where it doesn't want to work anymore."

"H-has that happened before?"

"It's happened to me, so I'm aware that it's happened." He answered. "Besides, it takes a man detached from forever to even begin to start a war."

"…that's…that's true…" She looked at him. "I've never fought a war before."

"No?"

"Any war I've _'fought'_ was done by Vash's army…I don't have my own."

"Oh…I see…" She heard him sigh. "You're lucky, you know."

"Eh?"

"War's the worst thing for a nation to experience."

"I-I mean…I have seen the World Wars just from my homeland…"

"I'm not surprised, but you didn't actually _**fight**_, right? Vash protected you?"

"For the…most part."

"Interesting…" Rizal sighed. "We had been conquered by at least four nations."

"Four?"

"Yeah…four nations. The only Asian country to have that title, and it sucks." He answered. "You have no idea how long we had to fight in order to be in this position."

"Rizal, many nations have done the same thing just like you. You can't be the only one."

"I guess so…but then again, I'm sure that most of them weren't born the same way I was."

"Were you and Charice born differently?"

"Just me. Not her; she was normal."

Erika blinked for a few minutes, seeing the cloud of wavering confidence over Rizal's face. Before she knew it, she had leaned her head on his shoulder, shocking him as well. It was then that her mind told her something: he seemed to be rather close to Ludwig, and seemed to talk funny around him…

"Rizal?"

"Yeah?"

"What does it feel like to be in love?"

"_**Hah?"**_

"I mean…I can't ask Vash. It sounds weird, so…"

"…uuumm…" Rizal turned his head. "I-I really have no idea how to describe it…but if I can say anything about it…it's kind of like…familial love. Only it's centered toward a person that doesn't share your blood. You want to do anything for them; sacrificing anything is good game. You'd do anything to make them happy, even if it is to wipe out your sorry existence from the planet."

She froze. He sounded too…_**honest.**_

"But at the same time…it hurts. The body reacts around them as if it was being thrown into a cold shower, and yet the slightest touch feels like a warm blanket being thrown over to warm you down…almost impossible to determine, really. Indescribable is the best word I can say…why?"

_At least…at least I know what this is now…what has been here this entire time…_

**/= [10 DAYS LATER] =/**

She and Vash were in the city, shopping for Christmas gifts and contemplating on whether or not to buy them in the first place. She knew he didn't _**really**_ want to, but Erika on the other hand knew that she had to. She had just made new friends, and had so many people to shop for. Either that or she could restart knitting again.

They were inside a small store when Vash wandered off to check out a few mirrors that might work well in the house. She stared at the mirror in front of her and chuckled. She had one just like it in her house _(even if it did look a little fancy)_. The people of Liechtenstein were one of the richest people in the world…per person wise.

"Shopping for gifts?"

She turned her head and saw Rizal staring back at her for a second. He lightly nodded away from her, and she realized that he was throwing a quick greeting for her brother, a few feet away from her. Apparently he and Rizal were on neutral terms _(something she couldn't help but be grateful for)_.

"Yeah…it's almost Christmas, after all."

"True…well, I wouldn't want to see you at my place around this time. It's already Christmas where I live."

"E-eh?"

"Yeah. Back at home, Christmas starts on September, ends in January."

"W-wow…that's a lot of gifts."

"Well, not _**gifts**_ per say. We're not the richest people out there."

"Huh…um, where's Charice?"

"She's out with someone right now. She's probably buying my Christmas gift and doesn't want me to know what it is. Chances are I find it anyway."

She laughed at that declaration for a few minutes before his phone went off. He lifted up his finger before walking a few inches away to answer the phone. Rizal greeted it as normal before being silent for a few minutes. Erika could barely understand what was going on before seeing his face grow utterly pale, to the point where his hand was around his mouth.

"…_wait…who was in it again…?"_


	7. The Principality of Monaco

She had to bring it up. After worrying about it herself, it was nice for the other girls to think about it.

Not that they deserve any of the worry.

Monica sat at the edge of her bed, curling her hair into the familiar braid that she was used to, thinking about what she had started. Yes, the girls are going to have a hard time finding someone to love them. But the worse one off would have to be herself. She talks like an old biddy, and she knows that. Who likes listening to old people these days? Apparently no one. No one wants to hear about the past; they think they know it all…

Depressed, she stood up and headed to the coffee machine to make what she desperately needed: a wake-up call. Monica sighed as she stood there, wondering to herself if she was actually doing something right by telling them what was on her mind. She couldn't help but, and for that she felt like she had the understanding that perhaps she had done the wrong thing. Then again, it was free will that she had spoken out. She hasn't really expressed that right in a long time…

The coffee was finally pouring out of the machine, and Monica sat down next to the machine to stare at it. Ever since the beginning of her creation, she couldn't help but stare at the smallest things…wondering if she was going to reach some form of enlightenment after waiting for it. All she really wanted was to find out what that enlightenment was supposed to lead into.

**/=+=/**

The meeting was as boring as ever. After Francis and Arthur started arguing for the seventeenth bazillion time, she had given up paying attention and resorted to sketching in her book. She easily gets agitated by the whole economy thing, and with the recent troubles everyone's having she doesn't want to agitate herself even more.

With Francis worrying about their own economies, she focuses her time on what she has in front of her: usually decorating. When it wasn't inside houses, she would be designing the latest fashion. Francis had pegged her to be a rather good fashion designer, mainly because 99% of her clothes were handmade by yours truly. She loved designing them…must've been Francis's doing.

She had to be grateful for Francis. He takes great care of her and doesn't try to violate her, despite the fact that she was a woman and she was his sister _(he likes hitting on relatives…ARTHUR)_. But if she knew anything about him, it was that he loved anything and anyone that was beautiful.

So would that mean that she wasn't beautiful?

Monica had to call herself weird that she actually found herself liking this man, despite the fact that he was everything that should be illegal in this day and age. But she had seen the compassionate side of him, the one that truly cares for the ones that he deeply cared about. He shows it all the time, but never wanted to become close to anyone. The last person he got close to was a mortal woman, and the world tore their hearts apart. This was long before he came and conquered her, so she had no idea who this woman was.

_Jeanne…Jeanne D'Arc._ She had read it in a book somewhere. _The Saint of France…_

Whenever someone in France would mention her in his presence, he would go into this dreamlike state. He wanted to be back with her, that was all there is to it. That meant that no matter what she did, she would never get his attention, no matter how hard she tried. It would only seem to alienate her from him, who only wants to share the love and yet not continue to do so once it has been returned.

She didn't even pay attention as Francis was dragged back into the meeting hall. Her eyes continued to gaze upon the drawing that was set before her: that of a beautiful French robe with a rosary and silk top. The outfit only seems to work if the girl's hair was short, as seen in the drawing in the notebook. She looked like the drawings and sculptures that she's seen of the maiden.

_Maybe this is how I can show my thanks for him…_

**/= [3 DAYS LATER] =/**

After many days, she had finished sewing up and accessorizing the outfit that she had drawn up. She stared at it on the mannequin and found herself nodding in agreement. It did look more beautiful than a simple drawing. Monica didn't hesitate on throwing it onto her small figure. She turned her head to the mirror and saw just how nice it looked on her.

Nice. Not beautiful.

"This looks good enough…" She nodded. "There's only one more thing I have to do…"

Wearing a wig every day was not an option with her. The only way she was going to get this outfit to work and for him to take notice of her past a couple of hours a month was to take this route. Her eyes gazed toward what she wanted: a pair of scissors on the nightstand, and quietly took it in her hands. With her hope intact, she turned toward the mirror and lifted it to her hair.

_I know how to do this._ She thought. _Even if I end up cutting my hair too short, this will be perfect for the outfit…_

"Monica, wha-? What are you _**doing?"**_

She turned her head in shock and saw with surprise that Francis was at the door, staring at her in confusion at what was going on. She was utterly shocked; he didn't mention that he was going to visit her house, and he always does so beforehand. Instead, he had come straight into the room and grabbed the scissors from her.

"Are the dead ends on your hair that horrible, mademoiselle?" He sounded mad…yet his voice seemed flawless in his rage. Was he even angry at all?

"No…I was just thinking about cutting my hair." She answered. "It was too long, so I want it to my shoulder…like Erika."

"Why would you do that? You love your hair this long."

_He knew of that?_ "I wanted a…change of pace, that's all. Erika's hair is rather beautiful."

"Are you comparing yourself to other people? That isn't like you."

"Well…the world is changing. The word _'beautiful'_ is changing its meaning." She answered. "Short hair is beautiful now."

"Don't go with the trends…make them." Francis smiled. "You're beautiful just the way you are."

She blushed.

"W-what makes you say that? You never told me that before."

"What's the use of telling someone what they already know?"

She looked away, grateful that he hadn't realized what had inspired her outfit. Monica could only smile as he gave her a non-perverted hug, and for once knew why he was "Big Brother France". She smiled and hugged him back, grateful that she had the best big brother ever.

**/=+=/**

**I'm thinking of making another Hetalia fantasy story. The first one didn't work as well, but I really want to do the whole "Kingdoms-based-on-card-suits"…maybe I'll put in the Philippine OCs and then South Korea. Yeah, that'll work.**


	8. The Republic of Belarus

_This fear is stupid. Big brother does love me back. He should._

Natalya's thoughts were always about Ivan. There was nothing else that her mind could tell her otherwise. She loved Big Brother Ivan. She worshiped Big Brother Ivan. And no one can convince her out of it. He was childish, shared the same sense of humor with her…they were destined to be together, and there was nothing that would stand in their way.

Instead of that _**one**_ obstacle…

She sat up from her bed and turned her head, looking at her sleeping older sister a few feet away. Ivan still thought of her, that much she knew, and she was definitely an enemy when it came to getting him for her own. If it hadn't been for the meeting that needed her, she would've slit this bitch's throat without a second to lose. The world would've needed a better Ukraine than what this crybaby would give him. She spat and turned her head back to the window.

_I'm going to have him…no matter what._

**/=+=/**

The entire meeting, she clung onto Ivan for all her life as life continued on. People were yelling at each other, people were flying out of the windows, she didn't care. She was with Ivan, and that was all that mattered to her. He was trying to move out of the way, but nonetheless she will always be his.

"Um…N-Natalya?"

"Yes, my love?"

"I…I have to go to the bathroom."

"Of course."

The two of them walked down to the bathroom, where Natalya waited patiently for her big brother just outside the door. After a few minutes, she realized that he wasn't coming out, so she decided to look inside and ask if he needed help with anything. That's what people in love do, right?

"Natalya? What are you doing peeking into the boy's bathroom?"

She stiffened, glaring and turning her head around to see Toris staring back at her, a smile on his face. She hated that bastard with all of her soul. He had to act so much like Ivan: innocent and sweet, trying to win her over like it was no big deal. Why did he have to remind her of Ivan, after being the center of his attention?

"_**You are not one to know the answer to that."**_

"Oh! That means Ivan's in there…" He shivered. "All right…thanks for telling me that…"

"What? You're not going to talk to him?"

"N-no…I'm a little scared of him. In all truth…I don't really like talking to him."

"Oh really? Then why do you talk to him? _**Huh?"**_

"B-because he always knows where I am…and he's too creepy not to say no to…"

Natalya blinked. She knew that Toris and Ivan talked to each other quite frequently, but she didn't know that Toris was actually _**afraid**_ of him. She always figured that he actually wanted to talk to him, since he kept trying to take him away from her. But still-

_No. Natalya, keep your head in gear…_

"You're lying. You love to be around him."

"Eh?"

"Let me make something clear: I love my brother, and he is mine. So back off."

"Eh? Oh, of course you love him, Natalya. He's your brother."

"No. I don't love him like a brother. I love him like a man."

Toris stared at her in confusion, almost as if what she had just said didn't register in his head at all. She started holding the knife in her hand and caressed the blade. Was it so hard to love? She loved him, and only him. Everyone else can love, right?

"Is he…the only person you love?"

"Of course. You can only love one person. Otherwise that would be cheating on someone."

Toris blinked, not understanding what she was saying. After a few minutes of standing there, he started rubbing the back of his head.

"Do you love anyone else, Natalya?"

"No, of course not!"

"N-not like that, of course…I mean a familial love."

"…a what?"

"Familial. Like do you love your family?"

"Of course not! That would be sick and wrong!"

"Eh? I-it's possible for you to love your family, Natalya…without being _**in**_ love with them."

"…what do you mean?"

"Well, uh…you see, there are all kinds of love. Loving your family, loving your friends…and then loving someone else." Toris had his fingers up in the air. "Loving someone else is…well, what you feel for Ivan. Loving your family and friends is like…um…I guess it's the same as loving someone else."

"So what's the difference? They're the same, right? You can only love one person."

"N-no, that's not it…I mean, the only main difference is that you want to marry the one person you love."

"That's just what I mean. I want to marry Ivan."

"Marry your brother?"

"Yes. We all can be in love with our siblings, right?"

"_Wow…we really are screwed up…"_ Toris shook his head. "No, not like…that. Being in love with our family and friends starts…mentally. Being _**in**_ love starts emotionally. Your body tells you first…"

Natalya was disgusted. He had described her love for Ivan like it was nothing more than this crappy _familial_ love. She hated this man with all her heart. First he tries to act like big brother, then he tries to dispel her love for big brother, and now what? Is he going to try getting her to love him? What a dick…

"Natalya?"

"Don't start lecturing me on what love is. I know what love is. I'm in love."

"…that's good."Toris smiled.

"**Don't you **_**fucking**_** smile at me like that!"**

"Eh?"

"Why the hell do you act like Ivan, anyway?"

"Eh? What are you talking about, I'm nothing like him!"

"Yes you are! Why do you have to be so damn nice? You have the same smile, the same laugh, the same _**everything!**_ Why are you trying to be like him?"

"Natalya…I'm…I'm nothing like him."

She turned her head around, emotionally confused. This wasn't right at all. Why were Ivan and Toris being the same in her head? They were both innocent, they both had the same smile, acted alike if they weren't trying to scare people…heck, Toris knew how to defend himself…

Before she knew it, she had ran out of there.

**/= [10 DAYS LATER] =/**

She lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling and still wondering what Toris was talking about. Was it possible to love more than one person at the same time, even without the emotions a man has for a woman? That makes no sense. Love doesn't work around itself…right?

A phone started ringing, and she sighed as she flipped over and picked it up.

"…hello?"

"_Natalya? It's me, Toris."_

"…what is it?"

"_Thank god you're all right…look, there's been an accident…"_

**/=+=/**

**Yeah…for some reason, I can't write a pairing well with Natalya, but I am a fan of Toris x Natalya. Someone help me.**


	9. Ukraine

Irunya stared at herself in the mirror, trying to understand what had been discussed last night. It was never really bothersome the first couple of days after she thought about it…but now it was surely annoying her. Unlike the other girls _(at least as far as she knew)_, she had someone she was in love with. She always loved him, ever since she saw him grow up into the man that he was now. But there was one problem…

"_**Don't you try to win his affection, you bitch."**_

One major problem.

"_**I love him, and he loves me, and we will be married and stay together forever. You can just burn in hell."**_

That made her unable to sleep properly that night. Irunya stared at the wall next to her bed as she thought of him. The only thing that was even close to giving her hope was the fact that he still wore her scarf every day, refusing to take it off for any occasion. It gave her the hope that perhaps, maybe, he still cared about her. Or maybe he just liked wearing scarves and completely forgot the reason why he started wearing one. Men were like that.

Irunya looked up into the ceiling and tried to close her eyes, deciding to bask in the image of him instead of trying to push it away. He was the most innocent thing that she had ever laid eyes upon, forced to grow too soon and to form too quickly. If anything, he just wants the attention again…

_Like a little child_. She laughed. _Just like I remember him._

She had never been hugged before, not in the adult form that she was now in. She had never felt the love that could come out of two arms from one person reaching out and holding the body of another being, purely for the sake of being there, and just so that they could feel better. Many normal guys want her just for her boobs, and it pains her to think that it's always physical being over real emotions that win someone's heart.

She will always love him, no matter what everyone else says about it. If everyone is scared of him, she would stay by his side. If her sister kills her just to have him all for her own, then it's all worth it. Irunya knew it would happen soon. But it didn't matter.

Ivan was worth it.

**/=+=/**

During the meeting, she was watching everyone go into what she liked to call insanity mode. Charice had thrown Francis out of the window and it sounded like Roderich was trying to shoo people away. Irunya minded her own business and watched as Ivan and Natalya left the room, watching her brother try to leave her and failing to do so. She turned her head and realized that there was a pink scarf on the chair.

_Brother Ivan left his scarf?_ "He never let it go before."

"Hey, Irunya~ like, what are you doing?"

"Oh, Feliks." She lifted up the scarf. "Ivan left his scarf in the meeting."

"Well, I guess that's a totally good thing!" Feliks chuckled. "That thing was like, really old on him! He should get a new one, I swear!"

Irunya knew that was true; he was wearing this old scarf for god knows how long. Maybe she should give him a new one. Or maybe she should teach Natalya how to sew. God knows that she would do anything to get Ivan's attention. But then again, maybe he didn't want the scarf anymore…

"I'm just going to hold onto it then." She stated. "Until he comes back."

"Sure honey. Whatever floats your boat."

She nodded silently as she turned to wander down the hallway, holding the old scarf in her hand. It was fraying at some places, and she noticed that there were some failed attempts to try and sew them back up together. Irunya couldn't help but smile at that: thinking of Ivan trying to fix his scarf that she gave him.

_Maybe he still remembers me…_ She held it to his face. _Smells like sunflowers…_

But how could she tell him how she felt? They were brother and sister…that would be weird. Not to mention that any type of affection shown on him would be instantly rejected because it might end up being another Natalya on the run. If anything, the only thing that was giving her hope was the fact that he wanted to "become one with everyone". If he ever asked her, she would say yes in a heartbeat, even if it does mean torture for the rest of her life.

"Let me make something clear."

Irunya turned her head to see that Natalya was standing in front of the boy's bathroom, talking to Toris and sounding rather mad.

"I love my brother, and he is mine. So back off."

She didn't want to admit it, but she was terrified of her sister. She didn't want to be, but she was. Now that she thought of it, Natalya was the only reason why she couldn't admit what she really felt. If anything, she was terrified that Ivan might take her affections as turning into another Belarus. And she didn't want him to think that. Not about her…

She heard a rattling next to her, startling her for a minute and realizing that one of the air vents was starting to shake. Irunya took a quick peek inside, hearing someone crawling for a minute, and quickly started panicking. Was it an assassin trying to kill one of them? Was it a terrorist? Who was it…?

"Eh? Is that you, Irunya?"

"…eh?" She blinked. "Brother?"

"I-Is Natalya around?"

"No. She's still waiting for you in the bathroom."

"Oh…thank goodness. I just wanted to be away from her for a while. You understand, da?"

"Tak." She nodded. "Oh, right. You left your scarf at the meeting hall."

At the mention of this, Ivan's eyes quickly lit up as it fell upon the scarf in her hands. Without even thinking he quickly took the scarf from her and wrapped it around his neck, taking delicate care when he knotted the back. He smiled softly and chuckled.

"I thought I lost this…" He rubbed the scarf softly.

"You like it, don't you?" She asked.

"Of course…it's the only I have to remember you by."

"Eh?"

"Remember, sister? When we became separate countries, your bosses wouldn't allow us to speak with each other. I had so much family back then, but somehow I was still alone…"

_Oh Ivan…_

"Even when you joined the Soviet Union, I still felt oddly alone. I had duties to attend, another sister to handle…everything was adding up for me. It didn't feel like a family…I felt like I was in a prison."

_You're not alone anymore._

"When I hold onto this scarf, I remember you telling me that everything was going to be alright. You were there to help me when I felt alone. You were the voice in my mind; it helped me live through these days."

She blushed.

"I'm…I'm glad that you're here, talking to me." He stated. "It makes me happy to think that you're not trying to run away."

"…you're welcome."

"…so." He smiled, a strange aura coming up around him. "Do you want to become one with me?"

"…yes."

He paused. She paused. After a few minutes, he was staring at her with a blank look on his face and then decided to tilt his head. He looked so innocent when he was trying to figure out what was going on.

"Yes?"

"Yes." She chuckled. "I want to be one with you, brother Russia…"

"No…Irunya."

"Eh?"

"Call me Ivan…my human name."

"…Ivan."

"…so…"

"Eh?"

"What do you do once you become one with them?"

"You don't know?"

"…no…no one ever agreed to be one with me."

"Maybe you give them a hug?"

"Oh! That's true, da~?"

Ivan chuckled as he gave her a hug, tight to his chest and making her squeak in surprise. She looked down and felt the Russian holding onto her like his life depended on her to exist faithfully. Irunya stood there for a few minutes before lifting up her arms to hug him back, feeling the warmth underneath her fingertips.

"_I missed you, sister."_

"…_Ivan…"_

**/= [10 DAYS LATER] =/**

"Heeey! Brother Ivan!"

He turned his head and saw Irunya waving at him, a basket in her hands. The Russian quietly spread out a blanket on the grass as she plopped down next to him, fixing up the basket so that the food could easily be accessible by both of them.

"I'm guessing you brought vodka, did you Ivan?"

"…yes…but I only brought one!"

"Ivan."

"…two…but I need five to get buzzed!"

"Good enough." She smiled. "Because I made you my favorite!"

"Yay!"

The two of them quickly went into the basket and started to eat all of the food inside, chirping away and catching up on old times. After a few minutes, they heard a screech of tires and someone screaming. They looked at each other in shock before turning and running down the hill to investigate.


	10. The Republic of China : Taiwan

She always saw herself as a lovely young girl with a major worrying issue. Now all that worrying is getting to her head. I mean, girls deserve to be hugged and kissed and told that they were loved with all their hearts and souls, right? Why not them? They were girls too.

As she waited for the shower to be cleared, Lin Yi found herself staring at the flower clip on the night stand. She had been given that as a gift from Yao a long time ago, long before she became independent, and as such she had to repaint it every few hundred years. It was a beautiful chrysanthemum, and back then it made all the mortal women jealous.

Now, she's the one being jealous of everyone else, and it's not because of beauty.

What's weirder was that she is an avid shipper, just like the small cult that was out there right now. She should in fact be enjoying everything that is Yaoi: it means that all the hot man-on-man would be real, she'd be living it and everyone would be happy. But after what Monica had mentioned that day, she couldn't help but wonder if she had damned herself just for a small chance of happiness. Besides, who was the last nation that truly loved her?

"…no one…"

**/=+=/**

At the meeting hall, Lin Yi couldn't even bring herself to talk at all. All the normal conversation was nothing more than guys hitting on guys and girls fangirling all the way through. For some reason, she couldn't find herself joining them. It felt different…strange…almost as if she had been deceiving herself the entire time. But then again, what guy would want a girl as old and worrying as she was?

"Are you well, Lin Yi? You're not as observant as you used to be."

"Eh? Oh, Kiku." She turned her head away. "It's all right. I just had a long night."

"Is that so…it's not good for a young lady such as yourself to have sleepless nights."

"Since when do you start talking like that?"

"Since Elizabeta started wondering how I would sound like with a voice such as this."

"Is this for a Yaoi she's writing?"

"As far as I'm concerned, yes."

That, for the first time in her life, creeped her out a little bit. The fact that a man was perfectly fine with a woman exploiting his sexuality like that is…wow, it sounded rather weird. No wonder many of the male nations found them rather odd. She was getting creeped out herself.

"Um…who is she pairing you up with this time?"

"…I think it's Heracles again…she did get rather bored of me and Sadiq rather easily…" He smiled, pulling out a bento box. "I'm surprised; she never gets tired of a pair this easily."

"…people change ships all the time." She answered, trying to sound normal. "Some don't fit with others."

"Hm…that would explain why she loves to change shipping when it comes to her ex-husband." Kiku opened it up. "First it was with Ludwig, then it was Gilbert, then she started having fun with him and Francis, and then she just loops back to Gilbert. I swear, she doesn't know how to find a ship to stick with."

"…maybe it's because deep down, she knows that he used to be married to her?"

"…that makes sense. Explains the strange angst in what I've been reading." Kiku chuckled. "She knows how to write angst rather well."

Lin Yi felt like she was in the middle of an epiphany of life. Getting out of the naïve zone, Kiku talking about doujinshi that's basically about him being butt naked with another man is about the most awkward thing she had ever heard in her life. She still liked it, don't get her wrong, but…it's weird hearing about another guy talk about exploiting his sexuality.

"You seem to be enjoying this."

"Hm?"

"Talking about someone else pairing you off with another man."

"Well, what should I be worried about? It's not like they're spreading the truth around."

"…what?"

"I'm straight, Lin Yi. And I'm proud."

"…"

_Did he just force himself back into the closet?_

"A true man will know the complete truth about himself, be it body or soul, and will not be wavered by what other people think." Kiku smiled, beginning to eat his lunch. "Let Elizabeta do as she pleases. She knows that it will never be; I already told her that I am only attracted to women."

"So…you like women."

"Yes I do."

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Ah! Lin Yi! Please wake up!"

**/= [10 DAYS LATER] =/**

It was a while before Lin Yi finally had the courage to talk to Kiku after everything that had happened to her last week. She couldn't believe that he was even straight to begin with. He was so…_**womanly**_, to start off. She never thought of womanly men to be interested in girls…

"Oh, you're better. I'm glad."

She turned her head and saw that Kiku was smiling back at her, wearing a casual Japanese outfit and fixing his tie as he walked toward her. He almost looked like a masculine man this time around, and Lin Yi had to figure out that it was definitely fitting for him.

"It's only been ten days."

"We haven't talked in ten days. I was planning on visiting you to make sure that you're better."

"…thanks." She blinked. "But I'm better, really."

"I'm assuming that me telling you about myself shocked you, am I right?"

"…sort of…" She blinked. "I just…didn't figure."

"That is a usual reaction from anyone who's ever figured that out." Kiku nodded. "But I'm telling the truth."

"I…see…" She still couldn't get her head around it.

"It's all right if you don't believe me." Kiku smiled. "It will take a while."

"Hah…all right, if you insist."

They nodded as they started walking down the road, talking about doujinshi and normal events in their lives with the usual smiles and the world slowly spiraling back to normal. Suddenly, the phone started to ring, catching the both of them off guard. Kiku nodded and picked up his cell phone, waiting for the other person to pick up. After a few minutes, she noticed that his face had paled and he was looking at the road next to the sidewalk.

"…wait, please slow down…_**who's**_ in the hospital…?"

**/=+=/**

**While I was writing this chapter, I have decided that I have squashed my rage deep enough to take a deeper look in ****Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 3****, the game that involves a series that I have been a fan of a lot longer than ****Hetalia****. **

**I raged.**

**Hard.**

**But on the brighter note of things: for those of you Mitsuki fans who happen to still be watching my ****Rule of Herons**** fic **_**(if you are, REALLY?)**_**, expect an update rather soon~!**


	11. The Outer Islands of the Philippines

Charice couldn't help but skip toward the meeting hall today. The only thing that was on her mind right now was meeting her adorable Feli-chan today. People had wondered if she had issues for fangirling over something so adorable that it has to be female, but she didn't mind. Lovino already had all the love coming on him through Spain, of course, so who cares?

The meeting started out quite normally. She was sitting at her spot of the table, Rizal to her left and Feliciano to the right, and the two of them quickly started talking to each other. She couldn't really hear half the stuff, because the arguments have kicked in early and she couldn't hear a damn thing that anyone was saying. Feliciano, for some reason, caught onto that.

"Maaan…I just want a conversation with Feli-chaaan…"

"Oh…is there a young woman in need of help?"

"Eh?"

She turned her head and saw Francis laughing and leaning toward her with a strange smile on his face…a smile that was quite frankly, quite scary. Rizal was too busy with something else, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. As the blond Frenchman reached over and lightly grazed her butt, she grabbed his arm and instantly threw him out the window. Charice grinned and dusted off her hands; he deserved that.

"Woooow…that is some arm strength!"

She turned her head and saw Anri lean next to her while looking at the gigantic France-shaped hole in the window.

"_**Please!**_ You haven't seen how much I can throw out there!" She bragged. "After being around the Bad Friends Trio for god knows how long, you learn how to defend yourself~!"

"That's nice to hear." Anri stood up. "Then again, I'm not really worried about them."

"That's because they don't pay attention to you." Charice waved her hand. "It must be awesome to be around all these perverts and leave with their sanity intact."

"Yeah, I guess it's awesome to be left alone in a world of nutjobs."

At least she understood why that worked. Anri nodded in understanding as Charice dusted off her hands yet again and saw Feliciano staring at the window in fear. She chuckled and rubbed the back of her head; he was rather adorable when he was scared. So womanly that it's shocking that he was a man in the first place.

"Aww, you know I'm not going to do that to you, Feli-chan."

"…ve…"

"Unless you try to molest me."

"_V-ve…"_

"You know…in case you have some sort of alternate personality and whatnot."

"Eh? What makes you think I have something like that?"

_Because it's always the cute ones that have those things._ "Because of…Ludwig."

"Oh…you mean Nazi Germany?"

"Yeah, that guy. Seems to come out only during musical numbers for some reason." She waved her hand. "But seriously, if that becomes too much on the tongue, kuya calls him Axel."

"Eh? Why?"

"Because he's a tool."

"Um…"

"You shouldn't get it. Please stay as you are, as the most innocent thing in the world."

"Ve?"

"Aaaaannnyway." She chuckled. What is up with her and the naïve ones? "You planning on touring through the city after we're done?"

"I want to go around, yes." Feliciano answered. "I've never really explored this part of New York City before."

"No? After _**how**_ many years of modern NYC?"

"I-I mean…I never went to Times Square…"

"_**SERIOUSLY?**_ Broadway Shows for life!" She chuckled. "We should go watch one!"

"Ve~! And we should bring Ludwig along!"

"…_**uhhh…"**_

"…y-you're still scared of him, aren't you…"

"**No**…it's just…I have no idea what to expect of Ludwig around musicals…"

"I'm sure he loves them!"

Yet another stereotype of the German being as gay as Christmas.

"All right!" She said. "Lasso him up!"

**/=+=/**

How they were able to get a guy twice their size out of the room was way beyond what she could comprehend. But nonetheless they did so, and even went so far as to drag him to Times Square without a peep of resistance _(if you didn't count the many times he vocally went against the plan)_. Still, when they got there, Charice had to be confused.

"Eh?"

"W-what is it?"

"…this isn't Times Square. We're a block away…"

"You didn't know that already?" Ludwig blinked, finally giving n. "Times Square is only for walking. They banned cars there a long time ago."

"…oh. Well then! _**ONWARD!"**_

"Yaaaay!"

They started skipping ahead before they realized that they were hungry and they wanted lunch. Fortunately, Ludwig had American dollars and there was a Simply Pasta right next to them, so the two of them dragged him inside. Feliciano was near _**ecstatic**_ once he realized what the entire menu was, and Ludwig looked at his wallet once more, almost as if he was bidding it farewell or something. But since this entire place was about _**pasta…**_

"Table for three please!"

"Awww….aren't you adorable~?" The waitress chirped. "We just have one open for you~"

"Ve~~~thank you~"

Charice couldn't help but laugh when Feliciano blew a kiss, spreading the joy at the waitresses and causing a fight on who was going to serve them. It took one waiter to bring them to their table, and from the look on his face he looked like he saved them from a whole bunch of hell.

"Name's Yuri, and I'm going to be your waiter…your _**only**_ waiter…" He was glaring at the female waitresses behind him. "You guys want something to drink?"

"Just water." Ludwig answered.

"Iced tea. Make sure it's sweetened~" Charice chirped.

"That's all we have." The waiter answered, a little surprised.

"Good enough~"

"Ve~~~do you have water?"

"Of course they have water; I just ordered one." Ludwig blinked.

"All right…two waters and an iced tea, right?"

"Yep."

"Well…those will be out in a second." He looked at the waitresses behind him. "I'll give you some time to o-"

"_**Wait wait wait wait wait I want this one I want this one!"**_

"Whoa, don't go abusing the system we have here." Yuri looked at Feliciano. "What do you want?"

"This one, this one this one!"

"All right…" He turned to the other two. "You two want to look?"

"I have one, I have one!" Charice waved. "That one!"

"All right, I have that marked down." Yuri turned to Ludwig. _"How old are they?"_

"_Don't ask…_I might as well. I'll have this one then, lunch size."

"OK, so that's the shrimp linguini, dinner size…chicken parmesan with extra cheese and the vodka noodles." He looked up. "With that kind of service…they should be out any minute."

The waiter walked away, and the three of them started buzzing with conversation. The only thing on Feliciano's and Charice's tongues were about the inevitable downfall of America _(a topic which made Ludwig cringe just a little bit)_ and about the cute store filled with dolls a few blocks away. Ludwig didn't know what the heck to say when the dishes and drinks finally came out. Feliciano chirped in happiness as Charice watched him dig in, making her chirp and eat as well. Feliciano had to be so cute.

"Slow down." Ludwig blinked. "Before you get a stomach ache."

"Can't…do…that…food…too…_**goooooood…"**_

"V-ve…_I ate too fast…"_ Feliciano stood up. _"I'm going to the bathroom…"_

"That's what you get…"

Feliciano whined and headed out to the bathroom, leaving the both of them alone. Charice turned her head toward the stoic Ludwig, who was now eating his lunch in peace and not trying to make eye contact. For some reason, she didn't feel her German phobia come up from within her. Maybe it was because of all the New Yorkers around her? That could be it.

"It must be fun, huh?"

"Eh?" He looked up.

"Having to take care of Feli-chan all the time."

"I'm not 'taking care' of him…we're friends. He just likes hanging out with me." He answered with a sigh. "Friends hang out when they want to."

"…why are you saying that like you don't have a clue?"

"Eh?"

"Well, if what Feli-chan's telling me is correct, apparently you're a fan of self-help books."

"Gah! W-what?" His face was completely red. "F-Feliciano told you that?"

"That, and the fact that when me and my brother visited you one day you left out a sex help book." She turned to him. "You do realize that a hetero relationship is _**different**_ than that with a guy, right?"

"C-Charice! _Not so loud…"_

"I'm just saying…I'm just wondering why the heck you're going into hetero books to find relationship advice."

"…Charice, do you know _**anything**_ about me at all?"

"You hang out with Italians, you like going to Italy, your face tends to turn _**really**_ red _**really**_ quickly, and according to my friends, we like shipping you a lot."

"Charice, that's not even close." He sighed. "I'm…I'm straight."

"…what."

"Yes." Ludwig sighed. "I'm straight. Just like the majority of the men in this room."

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"Whoa. I never thought I'd see a girl try to drown herself in a cup of water."

"_**Dammit waiter, if you're just going to stand there **__**HELP ME!**__**"**_

**/=+=/**

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…I'm telling the truth, you know."

"…I know…you don't lie too often, but…wow."

"Is it that hard for you to realize, Charice?"

"_**Yes.**_ I mean, granted you might as well understand the situation I'm in. I'm surrounded by gay guys all the time; never met a straight nation that wasn't a woman in my life."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. Alfred's totally gay for Arthur. Or was it the other way around? Can't really put my finger on it…"

"You should have some understanding; your brother's bisexual, isn't he?"

"Yeah, but he's totally gay for you."

_***speaw***_

"I mean, his subtleness makes your actions look like a ninja; he's not even _**trying**_ to hide them!" She laughed. "You can't hide anything from the older sister~"

"…and you…never brought it up?"

"No. Relationships aren't really my good point."

"No?" He cleared his throat. "You seem to have a lot of fun shipping a lot of us together."

"Ludwig, have you seen a typical fangirl?"

"Huh?"

"Fangirls can ship whatever and whoever they want. The human mind can take so much detail and change at least one of them to their benefit. In that sense, fangirls can make any relationship they want possible." Charice grinned. "But just because it's 'possible' doesn't mean it's any more real than a real relationship."

"Charice…"

"I've never been in love before. I'm never going to find out what that's going to feel like. As a result, yeah I'm going to ship whoever I want, but it doesn't mean that I can't support it. Fictional writing isn't a ticket to believable writing, no matter what Stephanie Meyer tries to do to the world. My writing just won't be believable, and I want it to be."

"…you're…"

"I've been people watching for so many years, and I know a love-struck glance when I see one. You don't know it, but you have one plastered all over your face." She smiled; it wasn't her usual smile, which troubled him. "Thinking about Feliciano?"

"N-no! Of course not!"

"Please, don't lie to me. I know when people are lying. You're in love, aren't you?"

Ludwig was shocked at what Charice was claiming. Suddenly, a phone started ringing in the quiet table. She quickly picked up the phone and started talking, her language slowly slipping into Tagalog before a quiet sigh and hanging up the phone.

"That's my brother; he needs me to negotiate a deal with Denmark again." She stood up. "Here's my side of the meal."

Ludwig stared at her as she dug out a twenty, threw it on the table and dashed out the door. A few minutes of silence echoed out before he heard footsteps behind him, and he turned his head to see a confused Feliciano looking at the table in front of him.

"Did Charice leave?"

"She had a business deal to go to."

"Oh…" Feliciano sat at the table. "I'm sorry. I just wanted the two of you to have some alone time…"

"No, it's all right." He looked at the door she had left. "It's all right…"

**/=+=/**

**Guess who's in love with Charice? Don't know? Don't worry! He gets the final chapter!**


	12. The Federal Republic of Deutschland

**Guess who the lucky man is~ oh wait, his name is the chapter. Aw hell.**

**/= [10 DAYS LATER] =/**

He had no idea what he was doing, and that was after he was reading all the self-help books he had. Ludwig sighed as he looked at the mirror in front of him, his hair gel bottle in his hand. He would always gel his hair, no doubt about that. It was a part of his procedure in the morning. What he couldn't understand was that he was actually _**hesitating**_ about this. What the heck was wrong with him…?

_***Ding Dong***_

He sighed, lowering the bottle before going to the door. He was expecting Feliciano to be there _(he already knew what he looked like with his hair down)_, but when he opened the door he saw with surprise that it was Charice, holding up a huge bag of what smelled like dumplings. She blinked for a few minutes before looking into the room.

"Is Feli-chan here?"

"Why do you always assume that he's here?"

"Because I'm usually right. I'm here to give him his breakfast."

"…he's back at his house."

"…oh…" She sighed, looking back up at him. "You want it?"

"W-what?" He blushed.

"It's dumplings. Really good ones, too."

"…um…sure." He rubbed the back of his head. "You want to come in?"

"Did you forget to gel your hair or something?"

"Y-you just caught me off guard, that's all." Ludwig sighed. "I was about to when you rang the doorbell."

"Don't, actually. You look nice with your hair down."

Ludwig could only blush as Charice walked slowly in with the box of dumplings and plopped at his desk, waiting for him to join her. He really had no idea how to talk to her _(she's so surprising that even Feliciano has no idea what to talk to her about)_, so he allowed himself to sit across the table. Despite her German phobia, she didn't seem to be that anxious _(though she was still a little bit)_, which oddly relieved him.

"We can eat outside, if you want."

"…where'd that come from?"

"J-just saying."

"Please. You're not even fully dressed. Walking outside with an open jacket is only going to get people to stare at you. Though you may actually like that…"

"What are you talking about? I'm fully dressed."

"But you're missing a shirt!"

"No I'm no-"

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"_**WHERE THE HELL DID MY SHIRT GO?"**_

"See, Doitsu-ki? You have to be more careful next time!"

"W-wha-?"

"Here! Now enjoy your breakfast!"

He spent the rest of the moment holding onto his shirt for dear life as he couldn't help but sneak a glance at her as she started to eat the dumplings and coo all the way through. She actually looked cute when she wasn't hugging someone cuter than herself, and almost womanly. Ludwig found himself blushing and forcing the dumpling in his hand into his mouth. It was a good distraction to say the least.

"Is this the Chinese restaurant down the street?"

"You ate there?"

"Once…I never ordered this, though."

"We're in your home country, man. I'm surprised you haven't eaten everything from all the stores here."

"I'm not Feliciano. I don't eat that much."

"Though you _**do**_ make the best pastries~"

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"W-wha-?"

"Feliciano smuggled me a piece of one of your cakes. Freaking awesome, man. Thumbs up."

"…t-thanks…which cake?"

"The black one…with the cherry."

"Black Forest?"

"…that sounds racist."

"No, it's called Black Forest cake. Dark chocolate."

"No wonder it tasted awesome." She chuckled, eating another dumpling. "You're a great baker~"

"Um…thanks."

"Welcome~" She leaned back in her seat. "Soooo…you planning on doing anything today?"

"I was going to finish some paperwork from the meeting." He answered, clearing his throat and trying not to look directly at her. "My boss is waiting for me to finish it as soon as possible."

"How about later tonight? You got a whole day to blow through!"

"Wha-?"

"Come on! Rizal's doing his own thing today so I have nothing to do! Join me!"

His face completely blew up a shade of red.

"W-what are you planning on doing today, anyway? If you're just going to waste my time while I have to do something important-"

"_**TOO BAD!"**_

And he was dragged out the door.

**/=+=/**

Ludwig couldn't get away from her, so he was forced to follow her as she wandered through the streets of his home country and pointed out everything that he already knew. He stared at her for a few seconds, realizing that she was rather childish for a nation that had been taken over and nearly assaulted _(by his own men, no less)_. What was making her so happy…?

"Do you have any money?"

"Hm?"

"I'm in the mood for German ice cream."

"…it's just ice cream, Charice."

"But I'm getting it in a different country~! So it's foreign!"

_Oh good Christ._ "All right. What flavor?"

"Cookies 'n cream~ or vanilla if they don't have it."

"All right…"

Ludwig sighed and walked over to the nearest ice cream booth, seeing Charice quickly join him with interested eyes. He stared at her for a few more minutes before giving up and heading toward the front of the line. The woman behind the counter looked at them in intrigue.

"Ist sie deine freundin?"

"_**N-nein!"**_ He blushed and turned away. "S-sie ist nur ein Freund."

"Wenn Sie darauf bestehen." The woman looked at him. "Was gefällt Ihnen?"

"Um…" Damn that woman for making him forget what he was thinking. "Die crème."

"Ist das alles?"

"Ja."

"Das kostet fünf neunzig Mark sein."

Ludwig nodded as he got his wallet, only hearing Charice coo in happiness _(coo? What is she, a bird?)_ and take the gigantic cone for herself. He rolled his eyes at the woman and pointed at Charice before heading on after her. She plopped onto a bench and started eating the entire thing.

"Don't get a brain freeze, please."

"I won't~" She grinned. "German ice cream is awesome~"

"It's just ice cream…" He blushed. "Made by an American company, no less."

"But you bought it for me, so it's all right~"

"W-why do you keep talking like Feliciano?"

"I dunno, maybe we hang out way too much for mental safety."

"Are you talking about Feliciano, or you?"

"Ha ha, you make me laugh."

"Nice to know."

Ludwig sighed and watched as Charice continued to consume all of the ice cream like it was her mid-morning brunch. She actually did look kind of cute with the look on her face as she was eating the ice cream. And yes, that thought did in fact make him blush and look away. It didn't help that she was leaning on him while eating. He froze, making her look up.

"You all right?"

"W-what about you? You're the one that's scared of me…right?"

"Well…not really. Not anymore, I guess."

"H-huh?"

"With my brother wanting to hang out with you and all, I have to get used to you. It's not like you're a drug addict and I can't find a bad thing that I can use to ban you from him." She grinned. "You're not as scary as I thought…and nothing like the men that attacked me."

"…Charice…"

"You're a lot sweeter than most men I know…including the countries…and including Feli-chan. He's sweet, but that's because he has no evil in his soul…like Buddha or something. You, on the other hand, are almost as sweet while being human at the same time…if that makes sense."

He was speechless.

"I almost see you as similar to Antonio: trying to repent for ruining so many lives in whatever way you think you can do so. You try to distance yourself from endearment in any form. For a human, it's in case your boss wants to et rid of them. For a nation, you don't want distractions in case you have to go to war with them. You're almost like my brother in that sense…you read just like him."

_Y-you're wrong on some level…_

"It's all right to be emotionally attached again. We're human after all…a human that can learn from their mistakes and actually help everyone else for the rest of eternity…kinda like gods in a sense, doing the bidding of a being higher than even us."

_I can be attached to someone…_

"You out of all people deserve to be happy. Your history is filled with crap, destroying a whole legacy of kingdoms with ten years of tyranny, and here you are fulfilling America's role on the other side of the pond! Heck, if Alfred was impaired on any occasion, you can take his place!"

_That's because I want to protect who I trust._

"It's strange, now that I think about it: you're the youngest strongest nation in the world. And I'm glad that you didn't end up going mentally insane or on a mass murdering spree."

_I'd be disappointing you…if only you can hold a grudge… _

Charice stared at him and realized that his face was completely red. She couldn't help but laugh and cling onto him, making him blush even warm. Why did her body have to be so warm at a time as cold as this? And why was he thinking about something like that at a time like this? The redness was now all over his body…even his neck.

"Awww…you're thinking of Feli-chan, aren't you?"

"O-of course not!" He blushed. "I wasn't thinking about him."

"Oh please. He could be your _**son**_, that's how much you care for him~" She finished her cone and laughed. "Seriously. You can't think of anyone else."

_Y-yes, I can…_

His expression mellowed until it only showed sadness, looking down and the woman that was cooing in happiness about something that she was claiming. What he thought was weird, though, was that she was holding onto him as if she was sad about something as well. Without even thinking, he turned around and hugged her.

Instantly, ten thousand thoughts ran through his mind on how this was a horrible idea, but for the first time in his life he was able to suppress them. He felt the cloth of her sleeve on his fingertips. He found himself smelling her hair for no reason _(was that grape?)_. She was so warm to the touch and it was actually calming his heart down. It was too bad that she was trying to wrestle out of it.

He didn't bother to hold her back as she finally got out of it. She was terrified at what had happened _(which didn't surprise him whatsoever)_, and he clearly wasn't surprised when she turned and ran out of there. He panicked and ran after him, not understanding what was going on.

"Charice, _**wait!"**_

She wouldn't stop running. He couldn't stop following. He knew that her past was running away from the men who had harassed her so long ago. He also knew that she had no idea why she was running away from him. All Ludwig wanted to do was to find enough courage to tell her the truth. That he would do everything in his power to make sure that never comes close to happening again. That he was even going to take a human life to save her. And he knew that he vowed against it. Never again…but…

He had no idea that she could run so fast. In fact, he didn't realize that she had already crossed the road. All he could register afterwards was a bright light and a strange blast of sound.

**/=+=/**

When did he close his eyes?

How come his body was so pained and stiff?

Wasn't he following Charice as she was running away from him?

Come to think of it…where was he?

He stressed to open his eyes _(they were not helping him whatsoever)_, and couldn't do so. It was as if something was holding it back. That was strange, for a nation such as himself would easily find the energy to move his eyes after being damaged in this sense. The room he was in was completely silent.

_No one's in the room…_ Did Charice know where he was? Or did she run away so far that she didn't see him?

"You're awake. I'm glad."

He would've jumped if he had enough energy. All he knew was the voice and the fact that he was next to him. He felt a hand on his arm, but the voice came from the other side of the bed. He was utterly confused: who was talking to him? And was it the same as the hand he was holding?

"…_who…?"_

"It's Ivan. We were wondering if you were alright, da?"

"…_we?"_

"Me and Irunya. You were hit by a truck when you crossed the road."

"…_oh…"_ Why can't his eyes open?

"It was called a Dodge."

"_Ha…ha…"_

"Don't mock him, brother. He's still injured." It sounded like Irunya, and from what he can concur she was holding his hand. "Can you move?"

"…_can't open my eyes…"_

"You were hit with enough force to knock out a human for a week." Ivan nodded. "I'm not surprised."

"You need your rest, Ludwig. That way you'll be able to leave the hospital sooner."

"_All right…"_

He was really mad that he couldn't open his eyes, but at least his nation status allowed him to regain consciousness sooner. Ludwig laid still and didn't move at all, and to his surprise he actually fooled the others into thinking that he had fallen asleep _(or maybe Ivan just wanted to leave)_. Whatever happened, he was left alone with the person that was lying _(most likely sleeping)_ next to him. His logic told him who it was, but…no, it can't be her…

He quickly devised a plan: something he could do in order to at least hear this person's voice. Ludwig took deep breaths _(hard concerning the fact that he was aching all over the place)_ and felt the hand on his stir a little bit. They were waking up…that's good. He let out a low groan and tried to open his eyes, letting that fail him again. The person gasped softly and held his cheek, and my god he shouldn't be blushing right now.

"Ludwig?"

Oh god, it was Charice. Part of him wished that it was Feliciano…or better yet, her brother Rizal. _**This…**_the fact that her voice sounded so happy…and the fact that he was hearing her cry…god, how he wanted to open his eyes so much…and yet he still can't. She was holding his hand even tighter.

"…_Ludwig…? Can you hear me…?"_

God, he could.

"_I'm sorry for running away from you…I just thought that you were…trying to do something to me. The phobia's still there…"_

I know that…I've always known that.

"_But…but after I ran away, this…this happens to you. Now Feli-chan's crying outside…everyone's so worried about you…and it's all my fault…"_

No…

"_It's all my fault…"_

God no…this isn't your fault…

Suddenly, he felt something wet drip onto his face and he froze _(giving him a bit more pain)_. Charice can't seriously be crying…she can't seriously be crying on him. The last time that she cried was…god, when was it last? He couldn't remember, and wished that he'd never see in his life. After a while, he couldn't tell whose tears were on his face. He felt her descend until she was sobbing openly on his chest, feeling the cloth between them slowly moisten from her tears. He seriously forced all the energy into his eyes; he had to open them, and now.

With enough energy, he was finally able to pry them at least half open. He was definitely in a hospital, and the light wasn't too bright to glare into his eye. Ludwig took a deep breath to calm himself and looked down, seeing her sob on his chest before sliding down to the bed, getting softer and softer until he couldn't hear anything from her. Slowly, he lifted his hand until he could feel the tread of hair underneath his fingertips. He felt her freeze and look up, seeing the bright blue eyes shining right at her.

"…_Charice…"_

She lunged at him, making him cry out in pain and her panic before moving away and seeing each other for the first time. Without even thinking about it, he had reached out and wiped a lone tear from her eye. She kept on crying, and just had to hold her in his hands.

"_Why are you crying?"_

"…_because…you're alive…"_

"_I've been through countless wars…it's going to take more than a car to take me down…"_

"_But it almost did…"_

"_Charice-"_

"_I almost ruined everyone's lives because of what I did…if I hadn't run away from you…none of this would've happened…"_

"…_why…why are you planting the blame on yourself?"_

"_Because…this is all my fault…think about it…"_

Ludwig forced himself to sit up, making Charice panic and try to push him down. He wouldn't have any of that, and instead moved her until they were literally looking straight at each other in the eye. She was shaking and crying, and for some reason it made his heart shiver all the same.

"_**Never. Ever.**__ Take the blame for something you didn't do or cause. The last time I did that…I ended up a broken man."_

"…_Ludwig?"_

"_Even if you did run away from me, if that car didn't come, I would've been fine."_ He answered with a smile. _"You see…i-it's not your fault."_

She stared at him like he had just spoken German. And that's when he realized that he did. He closed his eyes.

"_Ich liebe dich."_

"_What?"_

And he kissed her.

**/=+=/**

**And that, my friend, is the end of all the GerCha I may willingly post. May. If I wanted to post more, that would be totally dickish of me and my OTP of GerIta. Ain't that right~?**

**And speaking of weird angst, is it just me or can I hear Holy Rome singing this?**

**[http:/ www. youtube. com/ watch? v= 0qSV9P70CmA& feature= BFa&list= PLCDCDCAB75F640504& lf= plpp_ video]**

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**And for those of you who have posted OCs for this fic, expect three of you to get your chappies~**


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